(Original Publication Date, 14 September 1990)
Panel 1: Having been told that she's in the family way, Elly is the picture of bewildered and panicky disbelief. She doesn't believe it. She cannot be pregnant. Marcia tells her that the tests are conclusive and that Elly is ten weeks pregnant. Given a due date of 26 March, this meshes pretty well timeline-wise.
Panel 2: Elly tries to plea-bargain herself out of having a third child. Reason, she's thirty-nine, her kids are in school and she's working full time! She CAN'T have another baby....not NOW!!
Panel 3: She then tells Marcia that there's obviously been a mistake made here. Marcia agrees.
Panel 4: Elly is horrified when Marcia doesn't give her the answer she wants to hear but instead says that THEY aren't the ones who made the mistake.
Summary: It is starting to look as if
howtheduck is on to something here when he says that Lynn is reacting to Cathy Guisewite's advice by telling herself "Be glad you can't have more kids, Stupid!"